Is Your Tank On Empty?

Are you feeling exhausted, burdened, or just burned out? It can definitely be challenging to keep up with all of our responsibilities and activities. Our mental and emotional faculties are consumed by our professional and personal lives, and what little energy we have left, we want to pour into our friends and families. This quickly leads to feeling overwhelmed, depleted, and ineffective. Don’t worry; you are not alone! You can conquer this feeling of emptiness by taking two simple steps:

1. Sit at the Lord’s feet.

To sit at the Lord’s feet is to meditate on His goodness and greatness. Reflect on His vantage point in your life. His is the all-powerful Creator of the universe, yet He understands your struggles and has a perfect plan for your life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom.”- Isaiah 40:28 (NIV)

“Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” –Psalm 37:4 (NKJV

In the stillness of your reflection and meditation, you will hear His quiet voice. He will help you discern what aspects of your life need to be prioritized, and which ones are causing you unnecessary busyness that need to be shelved for a later time. You may have to temporarily or permanently say “no” to certain things simply because you are trying to accomplish too much.

Remember how Mary and Martha acted differently when Jesus visited their home? Scripture recounts the incident as follows: “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to please help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-41 (NIV). The crux of the matter is, we need to be like Mary, sitting at the Lord’s feet instead of allowing ourselves to be caught up in daily distractions of everyday life. The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, spend some time at Jesus’ feet.

2. Ask Christ to give you strength.

It is vitally important that we cast aside that prideful inclination to handle it “all on our own,” and seek Christ’s strength to carry us on. Christ makes you strong in your weakness when you turn to Him. He will help you handle it all.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” –Isaiah 40:29-31 (NIV)

“Yet this I call to mind and, therefore, I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for Him.’ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.”

–Lamentations 3:21-25 (NIV)

When you make time to sit at the Lord’s feet and seek Christ’s strength, you will gain peace, renewal and refreshment. Romans 15:4 (NIV) says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement we might have hope.” Be encouraged by the truth of God’s Word. You are not alone. There is no problem too formidable, no financial crisis too impossible, and no relationship too mangled for God to work through, sort out, and repair. Our task is to trust in Him and obey His will. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” With a grateful heart, spend time in prayer daily to seek God’s strength ad peace.

If your tank is on “E” today, let Christ fill it up, let Him be your power source, and let Him reenergize you so that you can continue to drive down His path of righteousness!